


16. Hide And Seek

by love_write_edit_sleep



Series: Child's Play (DBH 31 Fic Challenge) [16]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I love Jerry and Ralph and someone wanted some interaction so boom, Insecure!Gavin, Insecure!Ralph, Kid!RK900, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 11:36:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15773319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: Gavin gets an urgent call from Jerry. Ralph’s gone missing, Richard’s the only one who knows where he is, and Gavin teaches Ralph about Family.





	16. Hide And Seek

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Wreck-It-Ralph spoilers, sorry!

“No! That’s not faiw! He can’t do that!” Richard cried. “Why is King Candy so mean to Vanellope?”

“You can say Vanellope but you can’t say any of our names?” Gavin chuckled. “You’ll find out why in just a sec.”

“He’s glitching! Like Vanellope!”

“Keep watching.” Gavin smirked, watching the android’s expression. Richard suddenly gasped, clinging to Gavin’s arm.

“He’s Tuwbo! Gabin, it’s Tuwbo! He’s twying to take ovew theiw game!”

“Didn’t see that coming, huh?” Gavin chuckled.

“No!” Richard whispered, eyes fixed to the screen.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

“Hey, I’m just gonna get that, okay?”

“Okay.”

Gavin smiled and ruffled Richard’s hair as he stood and picked up his mobile from the table. He frowned when he saw Jerry’s name on the caller ID. That had never happened before. He shrugged and answered.

“Hey, Jerry. You okay?”

_“Gavin, Ralph’s gone. I don’t know where he is, he was upset, he-”_

“Hey, hey, Jerry, calm down, breathe.” Richard looked up in concern. “It’s gonna be okay, just tell me what happened.”

_“Ralph struggles with his anger sometimes… A little girl was staring at him while we were out and her Father said Ralph needed to be scrapped. When we got home, he lashed out and ran outside. I contacted all Jerry’s, we’re all keeping an eye out for him…”_

“Fucking Human assholes…” Gavin scowled. “I fucking hate people sometimes… Okay, don’t worry, I’ll help look for him too, okay?”

_“Thank you. I-I actually called for Richard’s help.”_

“Richard?” Gavin looked up at the boy, who sat up at the mention of his name.

_“Richard’s the only other person Ralph trusts. I checked places that meant something to Ralph: Pirate Cove the park, all the allotments in the area… I’m currently at his old abandoned house but… Maybe Richard knows something I don’t…”_

“Richard,” Gavin knelt in front of the boy. “Um… Ralph got a bit upset earlier and ran off to hide, do you have any idea where he could be?”

“Um…” Richard thought back to the past few days where he’d spoken with Ralph, trying to pick out anything important. Gavin watched hopefully. “Walph said he liked grasshopper sounds and Jewwy’s voice… but that’s all I can wemember.”

“Hold on, Richard, you might be onto something…” Gavin whispered. “Jerry, are any of… you… doing a lot of talking right now? Like, a tour or a show or something?”

_“There are three of us doing tours… One of us is doing a puppet show… Two of us are story-telling.”_

“Can you get ahold of those specific Jerry’s? Ask them to just look around real quick?”

_“I can, yes, hold on… Yes! He is by the bridge, listening to a story. Jerry had spotted him in the bushes. Thank you so much!”_

“No problem. We’ll go find him ‘til you get there, okay?”

_“Thank you so much, Gavin.”_

“Come on,” Gavin turned to Richard as he hung up the phone. “Let’s go find him, yeah?”

* * *

It didn’t take for the duo to reach the park and locate the story-telling Jerry. It was a sweet set-up near a picnic area, Jerry sitting on a picnic blanket with a group of children, reading them story after story after story while the parent’s sat on the benches and chatted to each other.

Gavin was honestly impressed by Jerry’s storytelling skills. He had a different voice for each character and, somehow, he didn’t mix them up at all. He seemed to know what was going to happen next before he’d even turned the page, so he was able to build drama through the tone of his voice.

It was awesome. Gavin could see why Ralph had come here.

He spotted said android sitting amongst the bushes, fiddling with a bunch of leaves as he listened to the Jerry, his LED yellow. Gavin gently gestured for Richard to go and listen to the story before quietly making his way around the bushes, being careful not to startle Ralph.

“Ralph?”

“Huh?” Ralph jumped, relaxing when he saw Gavin. “Ralph is sorry.”

“I know. You okay? Humans are really shit sometimes…” Gavin whispered as he sat next to the android, who blinked.

“You are not mad at Ralph?”

“Hell, no. I’ve run away plenty of times in my life. Like Richard said the other day, it’s okay to help yourself, to make yourself feel safe. Just… We wanna make sure you’re _actually_ safe.” Gavin forced a smile. Ralph nodded.

“Ralph is okay…”

“Jerry was worried about you.” Gavin told him. “He couldn’t find you. It’s okay if you wanna be on your own or whatever, but you gotta tell someone where you are or… Or something might happen, you know? What would Jerry do if anything happened to you?”

“Ralph did not mean to hurt Jerry…” Ralph whispered. “He was trying to protect him, only hurt him more…”

“What do you mean?”

“Ralph got angry… Jerry was trying to help- Ralph’s fear makes him do bad things... Ralph was scared he would hurt Jerry so he ran…”

“Why would you hurt him?”

“Because Ralph is a monster…” Ralph whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. “Ralph does not deserve Jerry… Jerry is too kind to Ralph…”

“I know it’s overwhelming,” Gavin shifted closer. “Trusting people after you’ve been hurt so many times… It’s hard, I get that. But… those people who hurt you? They can’t get you now, and all the pain they put you through… That doesn’t change the fact that you still need love a-and security, no matter how hard it is to accept it.”

Jerry, having finally arrived, stood a few meters away, listening to Gavin.

“I didn’t think I deserved anything either until Connor saved my life. He saw me as something, something more than the scum I was convinced I was. I… I didn’t feel like I’d deserved that, no-one would care if I dropped off the face of the Earth, but… Connor showed me otherwise. I might be worthless to myself but I mean something to Connor, to Hank, to Richard… They love me and care about me and, I don’t know why, but they included me in their Family.”

“Ralph does not understand…”

“What I’m trying to say is… You may feel like a monster, like you don’t deserve Jerry, but Jerry doesn’t see you like that. He doesn’t think you’re a monster, and he doesn’t think you don’t deserve him. He was worried about you, he’s been everywhere looking for you.”

“He has…?”

“Of course he has, he loves you.” Gavin smiled.

“Ralph loves Jerry.” Ralph whispered. “But how could Jerry love Ralph…?”

“Maybe he sees something in you that you can’t see.” Gavin shrugged. “I sure as hell don’t know what Richard saw in me. But I tell you something… I’ve never been so fucking happy in my life than I have been with Richard.”

“Ralph is happy with Jerry… Safe with Jerry.” Ralph smiled slightly. “Ralph wants Jerry.”

“I’m here.” Jerry whispered, kneeling down beside Ralph. Ralph cried out and threw his arms around Jerry, hugging him tight.

“Ralph is sorry!”

“It’s alright, sweetheart…” Jerry whispered, rubbing Ralph’s back. “Gavin is right… no matter how you see yourself, I will always love you, and I’ll do my best to show you what I see…”

“Ralph loves you.”

“I love you too.” Jerry smiled, hugging Ralph tight as he mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to Gavin. Gavin nodded with a smile, watching as Jerry took Ralph’s dented cheek in his hand and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. Ralph giggled, leaning against Jerry happily.

Gavin slipped away to find Richard.

* * *

_“Good afternoon, Hank._

_I just got off the phone to Gavin. Ralph ran away from Jerry today. He was scared by humans. I can’t wait for him to meet you so you can prove not all humans are bad._

_Hank, I punched a nurse…_

_It was his fault, he told me I had to start thinking about turning your life support off. He said you should have shown signs of awareness but you’re not and… and he wants the bed free a-and…_

_Dad, don’t make me choose whether or not to terminate your life… Don’t be an asshole…_


End file.
